Hearts Astray
by xXxnever wasxXx
Summary: It is the beginning of their sixth year at Hogwarts. Harry and the gang have welcomed a new member that has just transfered from another Wizarding school, Kara Moonsrush. Developing a fancy for Neville Longbottom, can she convince him she's worth while?
1. The not so welcome Welcoming

_Gryffindor _

That word, breathed ever so softly into her ear as the wood of the stool beneath her bit into her already quivering body, it was scarcely heard over the cheers in the background as her new house-mates and applauded the addition of a new member.

As the aged woman beside her tugged the hat off of her head so fast, the girl feared that she might pull out the messy dirt brown curl that hung from the equally if not more-so messy bun atop her head. Wincing, she stood up as a considerably younger gentleman rose to his feet and strode over to her, taking her arm and leading her to the table.

"Percy," shouted a young man from the table across from it. His hair was slicked back in a very snotty uptight sort of way, "Why is it you insist on allowing such…dirty blood into your house?"

As the boy's grip tightened on the girls arm, she stomped her foot, tugging her arm from his grip. She had half the mind to raise her wand and deal with him right there. In fact, as her hand gripped the hilt of her wand, another voice rose up from her table.

"Shut it, Malfoy. Leave him alone." The voice was riddled with pubescent oddity, but it was entrancing none the less. The blonde haired boy quieted as the girl turned to look from where the voice had come from.

"Thanks Neville." Percy rasped, barely able to contain his anger.

Of course, she thought as her heart faltered. She peered past her dark rimmed glasses, spying that he who had stood up to the annoyingly stuck-up blonde haired boy. His mild mannered appearance made her knees quake and the thick lot of hair that reminded her of oak-wood bark wrapped around her heart and tugged at it mercilessly. She felt as if she were going to drop from embarrassment thanks to the darkening blush that laced her cheeks.

"Kara," Percy began, catching the girl's attention as he spoke her name, "These children are your housemates." He emphasized the world _children_ just to get on the nerves of those that she knew were his kin. "Fred….George," he said, pointing to two of the boys that surrounded her. They were identical. "Ron and Ginny," He pointed at a younger boy, roughly Kara's age, and a girl who was quite a bit younger than them.

A girl reached her hand out over the table, seemingly impatient with the slowness of introduction. "I'm Hermione and this is Harry." The boy whom she indicated sitting across from her smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. With his other, he gripped her outstretched hand and shook it briefly before speaking up, "Let's not forget Neville." She didn't.

The boy at the other table, Draco, but most commonly referred to by his last name, Malfoy, piped up with an inaudible mockery. The teachers, as they sat idly at the table on the other end of the great hall, seemed not to notice and Neville took it into his hands to deal with him.

"I'm warning you once, and not again til my last breath, Malfoy. Shut your trap or I'll make sure that it never opens again." He made it so that only Malfoy and Kara were the only one's who saw that his wand was gripped so tightly in his hand that his knuckles were white and Kara feared he would snap it in half if he didn't loosen his grip.

"Neville," Percy stepped in between them, facing the boy, "Make haste in calming yourself lest Professor McGonagall punish both the both of us." When Neville refused, Hermione slapped his hand and his wand shot out of his hand, bouncing to the floor where the tip flickered with red and then dulled to green. Those that had seen it fell from their laughter to dead silence as Neville's eyes burned equally as hot as the red flame that had shot from his wand.

Quickly and without second though, Kara took her seat across from Neville, grapping his chin between forefinger and thumb and raising his gaze to meet her. "Neville, calm yourself." She stared intently into, mouthing a strange word that not even Hermione could read. Suddenly, Neville's face calmed as his eyes faded back to their normal color, the once tense muscles of his arms and torso relaxed as well.

Hermione smiled, looking Kara over quickly. "What spell did you use, Kara?" She stared with pleading eyes before leaning over the table.

"Hermione," Ron added, breaking off from the conversation he was having with a girl two seats over, "Mashed potatoes."

Hermione looked over at him with a puzzled look, "What?" She asked, shaking her head as she blinked her eyes quickly and wrinkled her nose, caught off guard by the randomness of his statement. "It's rude to interrupt someone."

"I wasn't being rude, Hermione. I just figured you would like to know that your elbow is in the mashed potatoes."

Looking down, and to her dismay, Hermione saw that Ron was right. Her left elbow was directly in the bowl of mashed potatoes. She blushed horribly and stood up, grabbing a napkin from out one of the twin's shirt and wiped it off the best she could. "Well, I suppose that's what I get for being the curious sort." She huffed out loud and gathered her bag, storming out of the room and up to the common room.


	2. Hush, the Paintings talk

If wasn't too long before others left to go up to the common room. Fred and George were among the first, followed not long after Ron and Harry. Percy ran off to tend to "perfect" duties, leaving Kara and Neville alone in the Great Hall.

Leaning over, Neville let his head drop down til it met the wood of the table with a loud thump. Kara couldn't hold back a quiet giggle as she watched this, and leaned over rubbing her hand into the thick mat of hair on the back of his head. "Neville, are you feeling alright now?"

Looking up slowly, Neville rubbed at the red mark on his forehead from where he had smacked his head on the table. "I'm alright now. I suppose I just got a little carried away." He reached over to his wand that was lying neatly beside his plate. "It's a good thing you guys stopped me, I don't know…" Kara cut him off by standing up and grabbing her bag.

"Neville, you need some sleep." She reached over and patted his shoulder, trying her best to comfort him.

Neville merely nodded in agreement and stood up, straightening his robes. "Do you mind if we walk to the common room together?" When Kara shook her head, they walked towards the end of the table and then out of the large doors.

"It's so easy to get lost in here," Kara commented quietly, looking around as they walked silently through the halls.

Neville nodded in agreement as he noticed Kara walking closer to him. A flush of heat rose through him, it was startlingly new. The only time he'd ever felt that was…dare he say it…never. She was so innocent yet not too much younger than him. "So where did you transfer in from?" He asked it so bluntly, intending it to break the silence between them. Something in the back of his head chided in that it only added to the awkwardness of it.

"I transferred from a place up in the north. It was a girl's only school, but after my mother's death and because of my father's lack of control over his job and family life, I was sent here." She shrugged lightly as she explained her situation, "He died shortly after I left; a malfunction with his wand, so I am told."

Neville closed his eyes as he felt a pang of regret in his chest. "I'm sorry, Kara." He was caught off guard as she let out a laugh and opened his eyes, looking at her with his eyebrow cocked up. "What's so funny?" he inquired as the strangeness of this girl soaked into him.

Kara shrugged her shoulders once again, stopping mid-step and smiling widely. "I've heard it so many times, I find it sometimes funny." She felt a heated blush erupt across her cheeks once again and she tried her best to hide it by lifted up both her hands and covering her mouth. Her robes were roughly a size too big and the sleeves covered her hands all the way past her fingertips.

She pretended to hide another laugh as she turned away and fumbled with her bag. Opening it, she pulled out a small tin and opened it. Reaching inside, she pulled out a small wiggling thing that appeared to be a worm, disregarding the fact it was blacker than a cauldron and bit at her as she spun around and offered the tin. It was full of those strange black worms, all wiggling against each other. "Licorice Bites," She named them, shaking the tin at Neville, "Want one? They don't bite after the first chew." She popped the one she held in her hand into her mouth and with a quiet chomp, the thing stopped wiggling.

"They can't feel it." She added as she watched Neville's face scrunch up with distaste, "That's the only reason why I eat them is that they are simply possessed and can't feel pain." She smiled again as Neville slowly took one of the worms and placed it between his lips. Suddenly he jumped and made a noise that again made Kara squeal with delight. It had bit his tongue and he stood there flailing his arms about as he tried to coax it off. Finally, he bit down and the worm faded into a small hard candy that sat quietly on his tongue. For the first time, Kara saw him smile.

Placing the box into her bag, they continued up the stairs to the common room. It took them a moment to remember the password before they were let in. Once inside, Neville reached out his hand to Kara in a friendly gesture. "Thanks for the treat. I really look forward to getting to know you better." Kara smiled and shook his hand, slowly. She was savoring it.

After what seemed like and eternity to her, she let go and took a step back before walking to the staircase that led to the girls rooms. "Goodnight Neville," she cooed softly, offering him a smile as he walked to the opposing stair. "Goodnight Kara," He replied as she ascended the staircase. With one last smile, she disappeared up the stairs and into the girl's rooms.

Finally, he made it. Up the stairs and into the boy's room without any problem. It was a good thing the other boys were asleep or else he would have been pelted with questions. _Did you kiss her? Where's she from? Do you fancy her?_ Just the thought made him cringe, but it wasn't the thought of her. No, it was the thought of telling anyone about just how wonderful he thought that walk was. Pulling off his shirt and trousers, he exchanged them for his sleeping clothes and crawled into the soft sheets of the bed. Tugging the curtains that hug loosely from the bedpost, he reveled in the darkness of the room.

Rolling over onto his side, he stared quietly at the flickering of the candle's flame. His last thought was not just his own. Someone else was thinking the very same thing at that moment.

_Should they have kissed?_

He blew out the candle and rolled over, closing his eyes and trying his best to fall asleep. Though something inside him stirred, he knew it wasn't the end. That night, what was shared, that was just the beginning.


	3. A wayward crush

Kara woke with a start. Her off-white curls plastered to her forehead as she tried to calm herself. _It was just another dream_, she said to herself as she looked over at the alarm clock. It was still early morning so she had time to get down to the Hall and have breakfast. She showered, rinsing herself of that sticky cold sweat which had dappled her skin after the dream.

Dressing herself in a pair of dark-wash jeans and a black turtle-neck shirt, she pulled her hair back into that messy curly lot on the back of her head. Slipping on her shoes, she grabbed her bag and walked quietly down the staircase to the common room.

The fire was still burning as bright and as hot as her cheeks had the night before. She laughed to herself, still feeling a bit cheery about having met so many nice people already. _Too bad_, she thought, _that things will get worse before they get better. _

Shrugging off such bad thoughts, she reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around. Most everyone was still sleep so she had to be quiet.

"He's already downstairs," cooed one of the paintings that hung upon the wall. Kara smiled and leaned her head to the side in confusion, "Pardon me, but what do you mean?"

The painting's occupant, a man dressed in a rich French-man's attire, simply smiled and replied with, "The boy you were with last night. Everyone is talking about it, at least those that had a good view."

Again, the heat of a blush rose up on her cheeks and Kara looked around in embarrassment. "Is it really that noticeable?"

"That you fancy him? Of course, my dear child. What's more obvious is that you're slightly demented."

"What ever gave you that idea?"

The man in the picture laughed and proceeded to explain. "Its obvious that you are the manic type due to the fact that it's very early morning on a Saturday and you're already up and ready for the day. Also, you are conversing with a picture that rarely says anything." He narrowed his eyes much like a grandfather would if he were telling a secret, "They would never believe that I spoke to you."

Kara laughed again and nodded her head, "Yes well." She was lost for words given her own romantic interest had just been laid out on the table. "Promise me something, sir."

The man cocked his eyebrow, seeming interested.

"Don't say anything just yet. It's embarrassing enough that I'm brand-new here and already fancied a crush of sorts on Neville."

She looked up at the painting and it had frozen once again into place.

"Who are you talking to, Kara?" A voice from behind Kara made her jump in surprise. Spinning around, she spied Ron standing at the bottom of the stairs that led to the boy's rooms.

His hair was a mess and his clothes hung loosely on his someone full figured frame. She smiled; surprised that she hadn't formed a crush on this boy. He was very handsome to say the least, right down to the freckles that dappled his cheeks.

She shrugged in response to his inquiry and sat down quietly on one of the chair that rested before the blazing fire. "I was just talking to myself, that's all. Ron is it?"

He simply nodded his head and ran his fingers through his hair, sitting down on the couch and propping one leg up, resting his arm on the knee. "So, Kara, I hear you transferred from Norway?" He smiled lightly, staring into the flickering of the fire and not at her. She could feel a sense of unease between them, but said nothing.

"Yes, after my mother's death. You see, she was a …uhm…a muggle. Yes that's right. My mother-"

Ron nodded in agreement as he listened. He already knew about her past. Sometimes it paid to have a father in the Ministry. She was feeding him lies, partial lies, but lies none the less; he said nothing.

"-and after word of my father's death, my cousin has decided to keep me."

Ron let out a soft snicker as she made it sound like she were a pet rabbit or a dog of sorts. "Kara, can I ask you something?"

Startled to say the very least, she nodded.

"Do you enjoy telling people what they want to hear? Or do you just tell them what would keep you out of trouble?"

Kara stood up, completely caught off by his questions. "That is a terribly rude thing to ask, Ron." Her cheeks flushed with rage as she stomped her foot. "I demand an apology."

Ron laughed, pulling out his wand from the shirt pocket of his night clothes. Flicking it, he stood up and took a step towards her, breathing soft words with every step.

"And now…I have another question." He pushed her into the corner against the hearth of the fireplace. "I hear you fancy someone in the House." He reached up and ran the tip of his wand against the soft part of her cheek, pressing it into the skin.

Kara couldn't move, she couldn't breathe as she closed her eyes. She perceived him moving and then a strange warm heat on her lips. Opening her eyes she realized what it was.

He was kissing her.

She pushed him back and screamed, but Ron merely laughed. "Oh, come now. I know it's got to be me that you fancy."

Kara shook her head and grabbed up her bag, running to the door that led out into the school.

Ron took quick strides and as he reached her, he grabbed her arm tightly. Swinging around, Kara took a blind swing and made contact with what she hoped was his face. As Ron released his grip, she darted out of the common room and down the stairs.

Quietly, Ron sat down. The pillows of the couch beneath him soothed him. His hand was placed over his left eye, concealing a bruise that was forming considerably fast.

"You do know that it isn't you, yes?"

Ron turned to face the painting from which a man had spoken. "What?" He asked quietly, moving his hand from his eye.

"It isn't you she fancies." The man smiled and nodded his head slowly, "You've gone and made yourself an enemy when in fact all you had to do was ask." Standing up, the man faded away from his picture and into another before leaving the room entirely. Off to visit old friends in the school halls perhaps.

Ron sat quietly now, his eyes on the floor as his head hung low. Finally, he picked up his wand that he had dropped and walked back up the stairs to the dorm to tend to his newly blackened eye.

Quietly, Kara made her way down the stairs to the Great Hall where sat the boy she had dreamed of. It was a horrible dream, she thought.

Fire consumed the school in a heated rush of pain and screams. There Neville stood as the inferno closed in around him. She had screamed for him to run away, but he stood fast. She watched in horror, reaching towards him as the flames licked at his handsome face and burned away the beautiful oak-wood lock from his head. Just as her hand grasped his shirt, he fell into a pile of dust on the ground.

She shook her head, dismissing the memory and concentrated more on calming herself after such an incident that had occurred in the common room with Ron.

Tugging at her robe sleeves, she wiped absently at a tear that rolled down her cheek. _She was alright_, she thought. _Nothing had happened. It was just a kiss. He was confused._ There were a million excuses that she thought of, but she finally settled on one. He liked her and she was afraid.

"So dies the rose, which lies dying not a rose. So dies the heart, which lies dying along side yours." She smiled at the saying as it popped into her head. She was groggy and felt ill by the time she reached the Great Hall.

There he is…


End file.
